Southwest Stuffed Peppers

January 8, 2022

Stuffed peppers have been a staple around our house for the last year. Although the initial process of cutting and cleaning the peppers seems time-consuming every time, it actually is much quicker than I anticipate. I cut and clean the peppers and put them in the oven for 20 minutes, which allows me plenty of time to make the stuffing. I only spend about 15-20 minutes prepping this whole meal.

I have tried many different stuffed pepper recipes, but this seems to be the one that I always have the ingredients in my pantry and fridge. It is simple household ingredients that most of us have or can easily send our husbands to the grocery store for. I feel like we all have chicken breast (I use rotisserie chicken most of the time), instant rice, a can of corn, a can of black beans, taco seasoning, ranch seasoning, salsa, and shredded cheese. This version seems like one I always have the ingredients handy.

I prefer to use the red, orange, and yellow peppers just because of taste, but green peppers work and are cheaper. Green pepper tend to be a bit harder, so need to be cooked a bit longer in my opinion to get the perfect tenderness.

The key to making the pepper the right tenderness is cooking the peppers for longer by themselves than with the stuffing in them. I like them firm enough that they hold their shape but soft enough that a fork and cut through them.

The rice in this recipe can be used from a box, but I prefer to use the instant bags that you just put in the microwave for a few minutes. Regardless of which rice you choose, always cook that before you start cutting up the peppers.

The greatest part of this recipe is that I usually have some leftover stuffing that is perfect to top on a salad, wrap up in a tortilla, or put in a kids’ quesadillas. It’s like two dinners in one!

Ingredients:

5-6 bell peppers
1 cup of whole grain rice (or 1 bag of instant rice)
1 can of corn
1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 cup salsa
1 package of taco seasoning
1 package of ranch seasoning
1 cup of shredded Monterey jack/Mexican blend cheese (for stuffing)
1 cup of shredded Monterey jack/Mexican blend cheese (for topping)
Optional: guacamole and Greek yogurt on the side

Preparation:

Cook rice based on instructions
Prepare peppers – cut in half, deseed, and rinse
Cook peppers for 20 minutes at 375 degrees
While peppers are cooking, mix rice, corn, black beans, salsa, taco seasoning, ranch seasoning, and 1 cup of shredded cheese.
After peppers have cooked, fill the pepper halves with stuffing mixture (some stuffing will be leftover).
Top stuffed peppers with shredded cheese.
Bake on 375 degrees for 15 minutes – I usually turn the broiler on for the last 5 minutes to brown the top of the cheese.
Serve and enjoy!